New York Jets: Rex Ryan 100 Percent Responsible For QB Mess

By Karim Akbar

Debby Wong- USA TODAY Sports

When Rex Ryan embraced the idea of having Tim Tebow run the New York Jets‘ offense, he was fully responsible for the mess that followed.

I think they’re still cleaning up that mess. Tebow earned himself a ticket out of town, a move that started the exodus of Jets players leaving in the offseason. Now with veteran journeyman Brady Quinn signing a new deal, it muddles the already messy Jets quarterback situation.

And what a mess it is.

The talk going into Jets training camp was whether rookie Geno Smith would be able to play well enough to beat Mark Sanchez to overtake the starting job. The idea was that Ryan would save face by ‘having to’ start Smith based on his play.

Both players tanked it so bad that Ryan was left with no choice choosing to sign Quinn. Although he will mostly likely have the job of holding a clipboard … there’s also the potential for him to start.

So to recap, the Jets have three quarterbacks under contract who could all potentially start this season. The best coaches say when you have three quarterbacks, you really just have one. That’s definitely true here.

When Mark Sanchez was drafted, he was a media darling. As a Latino player, he was desirable to marketers, something we witnessed during segments on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Things have changed considerably since. A butt fumble and another lackluster training camp have the Jets back at square one — again.

Sanchez has played so poorly the last few seasons that it’s honestly a surprise he still has a job in New York, much less the NFL. We were all convinced Sanchez would turn it around. We all said that he struggled under the weight of multiple coordinators, and that he couldn’t effectively manage the Jets locker room when it fell to shambles.

But really, the blame is all on Ryan.

Ryan made the call on Sanchez. He wasn’t fully behind the idea of Tebow, and now that Geno has shown he’s steps behind the offense, it’s a mess that all falls on the coach. A bench boss who has overseen this many poor quarterbacks should have been canned a long time ago.

It’s Rex Ryan’s lack of leadership that has steered this team in the wrong direction, not Sanchez’ errant passes.